Hope
by coldstone4815
Summary: Bodil's legs quivered as he surveyed the damage of the battle. His friends lay dead, eyes glassy and mouths open in silent screams. There was a pulsing pain in his back from where his wings had been ripped off during the fight against the gods. But despite everything, his vibrant eyes held a fiery hope that wouldn't be doused. "You may have won the battle, but we will win the war."
1. Hope

**Hey guys! Before you start reading, let me say this.**

**This is a sequel of my previous stories. _Animal, Insomnia, Fallen, _and _Wizard. _It uses many canons from _Miles and Inches, _and I suggest you go read those before you read this, unless you want to be very very confused.**

**If you've read everything already, then by all means, get on with reading.**

**And yes this is a full story. Chapters will be posted whenever I write them.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>-Hope-<strong>

Bodil couldn't really remember why he was here. And he didn't really know where 'here' was, either.

It was dark, he knew that much. Even if he squinted, he could see nothing. Either he was blind, or every ounce of life had been sucked away into some small box that was hidden within the stillness.

He didn't even know if he was alive, really. He couldn't feel his heart beating, and he couldn't hear his own breathing. But his footsteps were silent as well, so maybe he was deaf _and _blind.

He glanced around, wings fluffing up at the eerie stillness. It was as if time itself had been frozen. Bodil took a step back, unsettled, eyes trying to adjust to the darkness he had woken up into. "... Hello?"

There wasn't a response. He stood there for a few minutes, before slowly venturing forward. He kept trying to look around, squinting, trying to see what was beyond just a few inches in front of his nose. "Is anybody there?"

Still, a suffocating silence that could have given the deepest part of the ocean a run for its money.

So he walked, dark wings furled close to his back, but not too tightly. He was prepared for a flight-or-fight situation.

When suddenly his foot bumped something.

Bodil stumbled back with a yelp, wings flaring. Something in the darkness huffed, and he saw shadows move slightly. The angel backed up, fear evident in his orange eyes. "What's out there?"

Suddenly, light. Bodil flinched away, pain flaring in his eyes. He shielded them from the light, shrinking back in fear.

He held perfectly still, only breaking his position when a warm puff of air washed over him. He crinkled his nose, expecting bad breath - because surely, any beast that was hidden deep in this expanse of darkness, had to smell rancid. But instead, the breath that washed over him smelled distinctly of wind, rain, sunshine, and anything dealing with weather that he could think of.

Finally, Bodil opened his eyes, lowering his hands. This time, the fear that flared through him froze his limbs, keeping him rooted to the spot.

The light that had shown on him came from four sets of eyes. Two sets, one set smaller than the other and shaded a lime green, moved towards him. Bodil felt a soft snout nudge him, knocking him over. The set of eyes - which were red and green - crinkled with laughter, and they turned to the other two sets, which were yellow and blue.

"Look at this little creature," the blue and yellow eyes warbled, and turned back to face Bodil. "He's fluffy."

The second set laughed and came closer, blinking once. "Indeed."

Bodil shrunk back, and both heads jerked away.

"Oh no, we scared the poor thing," the first head said, masculine voice resonating through Bodil's bones

"Oh dear," the second crooned, feminine voice softer, but equally as shaking. She came closer, and gently set her snout against Bodil's chest. "You must be so confused, my dear."

"Do you think he knows?" the first asked, and the second sat back. Bodil just kept staring, eyes wide, wings fluffed out.

"Oh, I don't think so," the second murmured, blinking her eyes. She shifted, and then settled down, lying on the floor. "But you must tell him, I told the last one. She was so confused, the poor little thing."

The first snorted and shook his head, turning away from Bodil to stare at the second. "She took that rather badly, yes? Maybe we shouldn't tell him."

"Do you know where she is?"

"She ran."

"We'll have to find her later."

"EXCUSE ME!" Bodil shouted suddenly, overcoming his fear. Both heads turned towards him, eyes blinking simultaneously. The angel huffed, smoothing his ruffled feathers and glaring up at them. "I would _like_ to know where I am."

"..." The two shared a glance, and looked towards him. They blinked at the same time again, once, twice, three times. And on the fourth, they both said, "You're dead."

Bodil rocked back on his heels as if the words had physically hit him The world around him suddenly burst into color, and Bodil collapsed, wings drooping. "I'm... what?"

The female head crooned and shifted closer to him, but he just scooted away, finally seeing their true form. They were two heads of what looked to be the same body. They were tangled in the roots of a giant flower bud, which shifted and shimmered into every color he could imagine, and some that he never knew existed. He must have tripped over one of the many roots that were sprawled around the white expanse.

The beast's body was pitch black, as dark as the world had been previously. There was a long strip of fur going down their spine, and the female head had longer hair than the male. They had no horns, only ears. The female's were soft and furry, while the male's were sharper, longer. The second head's features also seemed to be softer, more feminine than the male's square looks.

But the power radiating off of them was simply astonishing, keeping him mute. He lowered his gaze, feeling threatened by the ere sight of the beast. Their energy surpassed god-status, beyond the myths of the Fates - the sun and the moon. He took a shaky breath, feeling the power radiate through his bones, prickling over his skin and raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Oh, the poor thing," the female murmured, turning to her counterpart.

"At least he is not going into a fit," he replied and the two looked back to Bodil, who was still slumped on the ground, shell-shocked.

"W... Why am I dead?" he asked, finally lifting his gaze to meet them. The female shifted closer, nuzzling him.

"I know not why, dear," she murmured, eyes narrowing softly.

"We have no contact with the outside," the male explained, one ear twitching. "Our offspring have not spoken to us in so very long."

Bodil looked at the female, feeling suddenly very small. The smallest eyes - the yellow ones - were twice the size of him.

"What are you?" he whispered, and she sat back, rustling the leaves, vines, and roots that were tangled around their body.

"We are..." The two shared a look, and finally, they turned to him. "We don't know."

"You don't... you don't know."

"Oh, I have a feeling that we are a god," the female decided, and the male nodded.

"Yes, most definitely a god," he echoed.

"But I feel we are not, at the same time?" she muttered, puzzled with herself.

"But we aren't. We are... we are the maker! The Creator!" The male's eyes lit up and he raised himself up, puffing out his chest. "Yes, we are Void."

"... Just that? Void, that's it? You guys don't, have, like, separate names?"

"Oh yes," the female said, and nodded. But then she paused, and shook her head, and said, "No."

"We do, but then we don't," the first head said with a Cheshire-cat grin

"Just like we know everything, yet we don't," she replied, copying his smile.

"You confuse me," Bodil said, finally getting to his feet. His hands were shaky as he wiped imaginary dust from his clothes.

"We are everything."

"But nothing."

"We are light."

"And darkness."

"We are life."

"And also death."

"We are creation."

"And destruction."

Bodil stared at them, then opened his mouth. But slowly, he closed it. For a moment, he just stood there. Then he turned, and started walking away.

"We are- Wait, where are you going?"

The female lifted herself up, stretching towards him. With a yelp, Bodil found himself being plucked up by the back of his jacket. "Put me down!" he cried, flailing. She just turned, and let him face the male. He blinked at Bodil, then gently nosed the flower. It opened up, colors rippling at his touch, and she plopped Bodil down into the middle of it.

The angel stumbled, trying to stay on his feet from the rough landing. "Hey! What gives?" He looked up, expecting them to close the flower on top of him. But instead, they just peered down at him. The expression in their eyes was like none other he had ever seen. Curious, yet knowing.

And the female sighed. "I am Mitne."

"And I am Amuul."

"And you, my dear, you are a very precious little thing," Mitne murmured, bending down until she was a few feet from Bodil. "And I am so very sorry that this has happened to you."

Bodil turned as Amuul set his head down as well, sighing. "Little, sweet angel, we created your species to live long."

"Yet the corrupted gods seem to not care about anything but themselves," Mitne continued.

"Corrupt?" Bodil asked, turning around to face her. "The gods aren't corrupt."

And Void shared a look.

"They aren't corrupt, right?" Bodil asked, twirling again to face Amuul. "They aren't!"

"We created their shadows, to protect the rest of the world," Mitne said softly, remorsefully.

"But they failed."

"Even the Champion failed."

Mitne lifted her head up and wailed, "Oh, our precious creations! Forgive us, dear ones, we did not mean to abandon you."

"The gods turned against our offspring," Amuul whispered, voice taking on a harsh edge. "We tried to stop them - we did. But we cannot leave the universe's Core, for everything would die without our energy. So we created the shadows. They were supposed to take over."

"But they failed," Bodil muttered, looking down. He frowned at the ground, kneeling to run his hand over the gold tendrils that grew from the core's inside.

Mitne set her head back down, heaving a great sigh of the scent of wind and rain. "We cannot do anything."

"... I can!" Bodil said suddenly, and Void turned their attention to him. He stood, fists clenched and fire lighting in his eyes. "I don't know how I'll be able to stand up against the gods, but I'll do it."

"... We could have a new Champion," Mitne whispered to Amuul, and he lifted his gaze from Bodil to her.

"The last one died."

"But I feel like this one is different."

"He can't do this, there's already a Champion."

"Who does not know of it."

"His brother does."

"And he doesn't know what to do with that knowledge."

"What were we talking about again?"

"I forgot."

"Do you guys normally do this?" Bodil asked, crossing his arms

"Yes."

"No."

"We cannot have two Champions," Mitne said, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Right, right..." Amuul looekd away, gaze troubled.

"Who said you can't?" Bodil asked, looking up at them.

And for once, Void blinked at him in stupefied silence.

"... Nobody," Mitne answered at length.

"Then why not just... I don't know, do whatever it is to make me a Champion?"

"We tried once," Amuul said suddenly, fire lighting in his eyes. "And the angel started stealing powers that did not belong to him."

"They cast him from the heavens."

"A Fallen?" Bodil asked, raising an eyebrow. He tapped his foot on the ground, then sighed and said, "Why would I have any reason to abuse powers? I'm not like that."

"Indeed, we created the one with the sole purpose of taking over."

"And he went nutty."

"Maybe this is not a bad idea," Mitne murmured, and tilted her head to study Bodil.

"We could try," Amuul said. "We have never made a Champion that was not destined for it from birth."

The two looked down at him, studying him. "A few things will have to change," Mitne muttered, "Like his eyes. We cannot have a dishonest color for our Champion's eyes. They need to be eyes that can see all evil and all good, and the grey between the two."

"Now you're being vain,"Amuul hissed.

"Our Champion needs to be perfect!" Mitne said, ears lifting indignantly.

"Fine, fine, his eyes will change." Amuul snorted, and turned to Bodil. He blinked, and Bodil felt an unknown... surge run through him.

"And his wings," Mitne said, sitting back to let Amuul do the work. "They're too unbalanced."

"Look, I said Champion, not makeover!" Bodil exclaimed, stepping back, but it was already too late. Another surge of prickling power swept through him and he turned, finding that his wings were now a grey - the perfect balance between black and white.

"Is that it?" Amuul asked Mitne, and she hummed.

"Yes, that looks to be it. Now, give him the power for the title Champion."

And Void towered over him, eyes sinking into a grey color. Bodil stared up at them, gasping softly when all the color that had been in their eyes swirled, entering his field of vision. For a moment, he was lifted into the air, with the colors and powers of the world coursing through him.

He felt alive

But then the colors were pitched into darkness, and he was falling.

Falling, falling, twisting in the air, with his wings splayed out behind him. The grey feathers glimmered with the power of stars, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't move his wings. A scream ripped from his throat and fear bundled up in his chest. He twisted, eyes of every color stretching wide at the sight of the ground rushing up and up and up to meet him.

He was falling.

Down, down, with the cold, sleet grey harbor rushing to welcome him back into the land of the living. He hit the water abruptly, slapping into it and knocking the breath from his lungs. His skin prickled, but felt no pain - more like goosebumps.

Bodil burst to the surface with a gasp, wings flailing, trying to keep his head above water. His heart pound in his chest, telling him that, yes, he was alive. Bodil sputtered, the weight of water seeping into his feathers, dragging him down, and for a moment he feared death again.

But then a hand clamped around his wrist and he was yanked up, out of the water. Bodil was tossed onto the deck of a small sailing boat, and there were shouts as the humans danced back. "Notch! I thought it was a man, not a demon!"

Bodil coughed, water dripping from his mouth, and he propped himself up. He cast a sharp glare at the man that had saved him, panting. "I'm not a demon," he hissed, and stood.

The man stumbled back, hitting the mast of the sail. "St-stay back, demon."

There was a scream to his right and he turned, jumping out of the way as a fishing pole was slung at him.

"Get away from my husband!" The woman screeched, swinging the fishing rod around wildly. Bodil backed away, shaking his head. He glanced around, trying to see how close the shore was, and trying to determine if he could glide that distance.

Only to be whacked in the head with a fishing rod.

Bodil hissed and raised a hand, intent on grabbed the pole, but suddenly the woman froze, limbs locking up. Her eyes were wild with fear and followed Bodil's movements, but she didn't move. Air didn't even escape her lungs. Bodil huffed and slowly lowered his hand, watching as she started moving again.

She whacked him with the fishing rod again.

So he raised his hand and froze her, then turned to her husband and did the same for him. "I'm not a demon," he repeated, "If you would just let me explain."

Seeing that neither of them were moving until he deemed it fit, he said, "I'm here to save you. The gods - they're corrupt. They only care for themselves."

But the couple only stared at him, eyes full of fear.

Bodil sighed and relinquished his power over them, stepping back. "I'll leave, I'll leave."

Bodil sniffed and turned, spreading his soaked wings and jumping off the boat. He glided over the water, not daring to pump his wings in fear of them catching the waves. He felt them try to drag him out of the air, and he tilted them slightly, trying to catch a wind current.

When suddenly, winds ballooned under his wings, shoving him higher into the air at the speed of a jet plane. Bodil cried out in surprise, kicking his feet forward and flaring his wings against the wind out of surprise. "Stop stop stop stop!"

And the winds did.

They settled, and without them, he fell. Bodil yelped as he was dropped unceremoniously onto a dock, grey feathers splayed out. He sat there for a moment, then stood and slowly shook his head. "Okay, what else? Is a magical pony gonna pop out of the water and offer me a ride to Neverland?"

And thank Void, nothing did so. Bodil sighed and shuffled his wings, then frowned when something shining caught his eye. He pulled his left wing around him, eyes widening at the sight of stars glimmering through the feathers. He ran a hand over them, and suddenly they burst into color. He flared them, surprised at the supernovas, galaxies, planets and stars that swirled through the feathers. They glowed slightly, and he frantically tried to brush the universe off of his wings.

Luckily, it did, before it caught the attention of everything in the next five miles. Bodil heaved a sigh and shook his head, then looked around, hoping to find a mirror. He wanted to see exactly what they did to his eyes.

So he stood and walked up the dock, searching for something that would give him a clear view of his-

His wings were doing something weird again.

Bodil turned, to find that they had shimmered into a mirror-like surface. For a second, he just stood there, but then he shrugged and curled his left wing around, noting that the feathers felt like they always had.

His eyes were now full of every color, shimmering and changing into every color he knew of, and some he didn't even know existed. The pupils and whites were like a mirror as well, and he frowned, wondering if they changed with the color of his wings. So he thought for a moment, willing energy into his wings. The mirror darkened into a shade of blue, and his eyes followed suit.

"Weird," he muttered, shaking his head and pushing his wing away. He glanced around, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The wharf was quiet, and only a few boats were silently slipping through the dark waters. The moon was high above him, with a cloudless sky surrounding it. He stared at it for a moment, narrowing his eyes at a flicker of movement.

For a moment, he could have _sworn _he saw a snake-like shape coiling around the crescent moon.

But he shook it away and started walking to the city that glimmered like fireflies a few miles away. He would have to walk, seeing that his wings were still soaked.

"I hate walking," he muttered glumly, hiking his collar closer to his neck. "But I guess every hero has to start somewhere."

**_[...]_**

"What exactly have we done?" Mitne murmured.

"... We have set off a revolution."

"And let us hope that it goes in favor for our precious little Champion."

"... Yes, let us hope. I have a feeling, madam, that hope is the only thing that will get him through this."

* * *

><p><strong>And thus begun our Champion's quest.<strong>

**Tell me what you think, guys! This could technically be called a late Christmas present - I mean a whole new story! (It might push Miles and Inches out of the way, even. I don't plan to abandon this one.)**

**So yeah, tell me what you think. Leave a follow, maybe a favorite? Have any questions, PM me them or leave them in a review. I love all of you guys, stay awesome!**

**-Cold**


	2. Rational

**-Rational-**

The house was strangely quiet when Bodil walked in. He shuffled his damp wings and looked around, frowning. The lights were off and there wasn't a sound coming from... _anywhere_. But suddenly Arielle, their Pallas cat that Nitram had found somewhere, jumped off the couch and came padding up to greet him, nipping at his feathers and rubbing against his legs.

From the living room, Nitram muttered, "Not now, Seto. I don't want to talk right now."

Bodil opened his mouth to speak, but Arielle found that to be the perfect time to let out a long _mreeeeowwww_. He scowled down at her, and walked to the living room.

"Seriously, Seto, I am fine. Leave me be to-" Nitram turned with a glare, fangs bared, but then he stopped upon the sight of Bodil.

"... Hey," Bodil said meekly, pushing the cat away with his foot as she tried to chew on one of his feathers.

"Martin?" Nitram whispered, black and red eyes growing wide. His voice quivered and he shrunk back, wings curling in, making him seem small. "Y-you... You're alive?"

Bodil quickly went towards him, an explanation already forming on his tongue when Nitram pounced, knocking both of them to the floor.

"You were dead," Nitram sobbed, trembling, burying his face in Bodil's shoulder. "I watched you. I could- I tried to stop the bus, Martin, I tried. I am sorry, sorry, I tried- I could- I couldn't-"

"Hey, it's okay," Bodil whispered, sitting up and holding Nitram, wings wrapping around the devil in a feathery cocoon. "I'm alive, it's okay."

"It is not okay," Nitram hissed, and sat back. Bodil felt something tug on his jacket sleeve and looked over to find that one of Nitram's wing thumbs was balling the fabric up, unwilling to let go. "You died."

"But I'm alive now, alright?" Bodil whispered, "It's alright."

And he watched as Nitram crumbled again. The devil set his wrist over his eyes, shoulders quivering in a sob. "N-n-nobody came by except Seto. S-Simon and B-Baki are a wreck. There- there was another angel I hardly know, his name was Ghost, and then everyone was crying and sobbing and saying how good of a person you were but then there was me and I-I didn't know what to do, Martin. I was s-so scared."

"It's okay, I'm here, I'm alright." Bodil hugged him again, grey wings wrapping around his shoulders. Arielle meowed again and padded up, slipping into Nitram's lap and curling up into a big ball of grey and brown fur. "Look, Arielle's worried about you," he said with a slight chuckle, and Nitram managed a small smile. He sat back, rubbing tears from his cheeks.

"Martin, w-what happened? How are you alive?" Nitram asked, "I-I _saw _you. W-we _buried _you."

Bodil bit his tongue, brow furrowing. "How long have I...?"

"Four weeks," Nitram muttered, running his claws through Arielle's long fur. She purred, arching her back. "The funeral was two weeks ago."

Bodil sat back for a moment, shoulders sagging.

Four weeks.

He had let his friends mourn over him for _four weeks._

"... Well, I'm here now," Bodil said, lifting his gaze to meet Nitram's.

"How?"

"... Nitram, would you believe me if I said that I met a creature that's more powerful than any god that ever existed?"

"... It depends. Did that creature bring you back to life?"

"Yes."

"Well, then of course."

[...]

**I'm sure he will appear soon, Baki, **Slama whispered, setting a comforting hand on the angel's fluffy white hair. Baki just ducked out of the way, not meeting Slama's pure white gaze. The spirit sighed and swirled around him, hummingbird wings giving a few agitated flaps. **Baki, I would tell you if I had seen him. But... Isn't it time to start thinking maybe... Maybe he moved on?  
><strong>

"Bodil wouldn't _do _that," Baki snapped, voice cracking. He lifted his gaze, eyes flashing into crimson red. His hair shimmered and a few matching colors streaked through his hair before fading away. The angel sniffed and rubbed his eyes with one gloved hand, curling his knees to his chest and wrapping his wings around him. He stared ahead blindly, staring at the words on the headstone without really reading them. He had already memorized every bit about the headstone - from its little dimples in its otherwise-smooth surface, to the golden swirls he had painted on it himself.

**You should rest, **another spirit hissed in his ear, **Or else I will do it for you. And you might not wake up-**

Slama growled and flared his faded wings, battering the one spirit away. **Don't listen to it, Baki, **he muttered, floating circles around the angel, warding off any malevolent spirits.

"He'll come," Baki murmured, again rubbing his eyes. He sniffed and shook Slama away, flourishing a wing and blocking him from the spirit's sight. "He will. Bodil wouldn't just _leave."_

**Baki, be rational. He's dead. He must have moved on. You know very well that not all spirits want to stay here, like I do. Cupquake-**

"Cupquake deserves the Nether!" Baki screeched, hunching over. "They all deserve to _burn_. Everyone who ever wronged Bodil - they should have died, not him!"

And Slama sat back in mute astonishment, white eyes wide. He looked around, spotting a few humans glancing over at the mourning angel. **You're attracting-**

"Who cares," Baki shouted, shaking his head furiously. "Bodil's death was all over the news. Angels aren't a secret anymore, Slama. Who _cares_, anymore? Not me."

Slama sighed softly, shaking his head. He knew Bodil wouldn't come back as a spirit. Usually, spirits appeared a week or so after death. Some, much longer if thy had been stuck in Limbo. Bodil would have most definitely tried to get here the moment he realized what was happening.

But the problem was, he _didn't _appear.

And it was tearing Baki apart, bit by bit.

**Baki...**

"Go away," Baki muttered, shielding himself from the spirit with his wings. "I don't care."

Slama stared at him for a moment, taking in the heavy bags beneath the angel's eyes and his sunken cheeks. He looked sick, even though that wasn't possible. Angels couldn't get sick...

Physically, at least.

Suddenly, there were footsteps behind them. Slama turned, white eyes growing wide. **Baki. Baki, look-**

"Baki!"

Arms suddenly clamped around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Baki flung out his wings, pushing the man off of him. He stood and whirled, scowling, ready to yell at someone.

Only to catch sight of Bodil.

Baki took several steps back, gaping at Bodil. "You-..."

"I'm alive, yeah," Bodil said, but didn't approach him. "Baki, you're... You look horrible."

Baki stared at him for a moment, eyes flashing into a deep, royal blue. He took a step back, foot brushing the flowers that had been set next to Bodil's gravestone. For a few seconds, the two stared at each other.

Then Baki sniffed and flared his wings, jumping into the soothing embrace of the winds and swooping away. Bodil watched him go, reaching out slightly. "..." He sighed and looked away, glancing over to Nitram, who stood a ways away. The devil made a motion, _Go get him, idiot._

Bodil turned and snapped open his grey wings, jumping into the air. "Baki," he called, "Come back!"

He had always been one of the fastest angels, besides Slama, and now it came in handy. He caught up with Baki easily, grey wings glimmering in the morning sun. "Baki, hey, wait up! Just let me explain, okay?"

Baki whirled, whipping Bodil with a wingtip. The angel stumbled , holding his stinging cheek.

"You're not real," Baki screeched, wings pumping heavily. His eyes were wild with tears, but his eyes were bright with anger. "You're dead."

"I'm not!" Bodil shouted back, wings shuddering, flickering into stars. Baki stopped and stared, hovering, eyes narrowed at him.

"... Bodil, I held you as you died," Baki whispered, looking down at his hands. He shut his eyes and turned slightly, not wanting to look at Bodil. "Y-you told me to live on... And you _knew _I couldn't, you bastard! You left us! You left me- and- and Simon, and _everyone_!"

Bodil flinched at his words, flying closer slightly. "Baki, the Creator brought me back. Void. Th-they sent me back as their Champion."

Baki stared at him for a moment, eyes still fiery with rage. He swallowed. "Oh?"

Bodil nodded, wings giving a strong pump, inching him towards the other angel. "I need to take down the gods, Baki. They're corrupt, you know. Th-they only care for themselves, and-"

"Stop."

Bodil did, clamping his mouth shut. Baki stared at him, eyes slowly fading back to their natural light pink color. "... You're really back?"

"Yeah." Bodil nodded, lifting an arm and pinching it, smiling slightly. "Well, at least I think I am."

Baki chewed his tongue, sniffing, and reached up to wipe a lock of hair out of his face. But after a moment, he sprung forward, wings drooping and flapping slower to stay out of Bodil's wings. He wrapped his arms around Bodil's neck, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to tell himself that Bodil was, indeed, alive. he could feel it, though - there was a power pulsing with Bodil's heartbeat, radiating from him. Baki took in a deep breath, nodding slightly to himself at the familiar scent of rain. "Y-you're alive."

"Yeah," Bodil said, giving him a half-hug back, keeping out of the way of his wings. "I'm alive."

Baki sat back, dropping a few feet and muttering with a slight smile, "I still have your Christmas present."

Bodil laughed, eyes glittering with the power of Void. "Well, I can open it later. Because right now, I've got a story to tell everyone."


	3. Messenger

**-Messenger-**

"Luma."

**... Yes, Creator?**

"Tell us how our Champion is doing."

**... This is very foolish of you, Void.**

"Luma." Amuul's voice was threatening, resounding with the power of thousands and thousands of galaxies. "Tell us how our Champion is doing."

"Thank you, Amuul."

**He is doing well. His friends are reacting quite... Well, quite like mortals would.**

"Even the angels?" Mitne asked incredulously, lifting her head from the flower bud to look at Amuul.

**Even the angels.**

"Luma, tell us, what have you and Osiris done to this world?"

**... We abandoned it.**

Amuul snorted. "And left it to rot with gods who didn't care for it."

**I know, but I was so sure they would straighten out...**

"Oh, our poor creations," Mitne murmured, lowering her head to rest against a clump of roots. "If this continues, it will become the End."

"No!" Amuul barked, bristling. "Have faith in our Champion, dear. The End was doomed to fail, being so close to us."

**Creator, may I send our Courier? He may be able to help the Champion in his quest.**

Mitne hummed, sharing a silent conversation with Amuul. Her eyes narrowed and finally, she said, "Yes, send him. And bring together the Champions, as well."

**As you wish, Creator, **Luma said, coiling closer to the full moon. She glanced to her left, dark eyes searching for a sign of Osiris. But he was on the opposite side of the world, and she couldn't possibly see him. Not yet, anyways. She turned her attention to a small, winged figure that was flying lazy circles around one old tree.

**Double, **she called, and the man turned, wings of stars flaring.

"Luma," he shouted, waving, "What's up?"

**I have a request.**

[...]

**(And because I don't feel like writing everyone's reactions to Bodil being alive (sorry if you were looking forward to that), here's a time skip.)**

"Martin, this is insane," Nitram hissed, jogging to catch up with the angel as he strode into the news station. "What are you going to do, march into live TV and explain that the gods have abandoned everyone?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Bodil said, nodding. Nitram shared a concerned glance with Simon and Baki. "They'll listen to me," he continued, "They have to."

"You'll get arrested," Simon added, setting a hand on Bodil's shoulder to keep him from bursting into the news station. "That, or kidnapped y some insane scientist."

"Neither of those will happen," Bodil said, turning to face the three. "Guys, we have to start somewhere. And besides, wasn't my death all over the news anyways? Imagine what attention I could get by being alive again."

"Which we're all very thankful for," Baki cut in, "But Bodil, maybe we should start smaller-"

"No. I need to do this." Bodil shook his head, giving them all a hard stare with his kaleidoscope eyes. "I have to."

The three glanced at each other again, silent.

"... Fine," Nitram said at length, stepping forward. "But I am going to go with you."

"This is going to end badly, isn't it?" Baki muttered, and followed the two brothers into the news station.

But Simon stood back, watching as their infinity signs above their head shimmered into numbers.

And he watched, silent, horrified, as those numbers slowly ticked down.

[...]

"In other news, the police found a 9-year-old boy today that had gone missing a week ago. The kidnapper was arrested and-"

Suddenly the doors slammed open, and the two newspeople looked up from the camera. The an, whose name was Carl, stood. "Excuse me, sirs, but you cannot-"

He choked his own words off at the sight of the wings.

Bodil straightened his orange and yellow tie, clearing his throat. He stalked up to them, and said, "Hey, I'm that one guy who got hit by a bus four weeks ago. And I need to explain to everybody why I'm here today."

He turned to the camera, eyes flashing into a brilliant array of colors. "Four weeks ago, I was hit by a bus."

"Sir," the newswoman called. Her name-tag read 'Martha'. "You can't-"

"I was brought back, by the Creator." Bodil's voice rose and he turned to face them, flaring his wings. Stars and galaxies burst to color, taking over the dull grey. "Void. I have a quest - to get rid of the corrupted gods." He whirled back to the camera, eyes narrowed. His wings were unfurled slightly, glimmering with the universe. "When was the last time any of your prayers have been answered? When do you remember _actually _seeing gods do their jobs? The world is godless. It has been abandoned, and it's my job to-"

"Turn off the cameras," Carl shouted, and Bodil cast him a glare.

"What do you think you're doing?" Martha hissed, standing up. "Security!"

[...]

Double sat on top of a building, dark wings furled around him, keeping out the cold. The wind growled at him as she carried a few puffs of clouds away from him. He rolled his eyes - the wind was always overprotective of her 'children'.

He watched as four winged people were tossed out of the building, and he sat up slightly. One of them turned and shouted something, wings of color fluffed up in indignation.

_Him, _Osiris hissed, curling closer to the flaming ball he was wrapped around. He glared down at Bodil, red eyes narrowed. "He is the new Champion."

"I know him," Double murmured, sitting back with a sigh. "Why do I _have _to know him?"

_He's sure to die._

Double looked up at the Fate, eyes growing cold. "And you'll do nothing to stop it?"

Osiris looked away.

After a moment, Double noticed that Luma was stretching up over the horizon. He glanced towards her. "Luma, you'll help Bodil, right?"

**Double, I... **

"Of course you won't." Double growled a sigh and stared down at Bodil, who was walking away from the news station, probably proposing dinner. "He's already died once. That must not have been enough, right?" His tone was biting and sarcastic, angry that the Fates wouldn't alter Bodil's destiny. He knew they could - he's seen them do it plenty of times.

**It's not like that. All of Void's Champions are doomed to fail or die when they succeed. We cannot tamper with power out of our control.**

"So it's this "Void's" fault that he'll die," Double muttered.

_From what I gather, Creator knows this._

**They want him close to them after he succeeds... I asked for you to watch over him, Double. So he _can _succeed.**

_Luma! You just put him in immedite danger, our child cannot go-_

"I am not a kid anymore," Double snapped, black-purple halo bobbing when he lifted his gaze up to glare at each of them. "And I was going to help him, anyways. It's my job."

He stood, shivering against the cold. His large wings fluffed up to ward it away, but its whispers still murmured in his ears.

**Just don't get hurt.**

_We couldn't live with ourselves knowing you died and we could have helped you._

"You're the ones who can see the future."

**... And that is what worries, us, Double. When I look into your future, there is only a certain amount of time before it goes black.**

Double's gaze snapped up to her and his breath froze in his throat. She looked away, dark eyes narrowed. He looked to the sun, but Osiris didn't meet his star-filled eyes.

"... So be it."


	4. Sad Song

**-Sad Song-**

"Nitram, wake up," Bodil shouted, shoving the devil out of his bed. Nitram yelped, shooting up from the floor. He glanced around, bewildered for a few seconds. "I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"We're going to go visit Seto."

"Seto?" Nitram asked, sitting back down on the bed and rubbing his eyes. "Wh... Why Seto?" He yawned, wings curling slightly.

Bodil heaved a sigh and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to his feet. "Get ready, get dressed. And eat, too. I'm not sure how long until it will be until lunch."

"What?"

"We need to go around, Nitram, I need to talk to my friends. You can stay here if you want."

Nitram stared at him, allowing Bodil to drag him to the kitchen. "You- you realize it is, like, seven?"

"We're going to stop by the library first," Bodil said, letting Nitram sit at the bar. The angel shuffled his wings and went to the cabinets, pulling out a box of cereal. "Cheerios good?"

"Do I look like I'm Cheerio to you, Martin?" Nitram grumbled, slouching on the bar and yawning. He reached over, picking up the fish food and dropping a few pellets into their fish's tank.

"Fruit Loops it is, then." Bodil rolled his eyes, setting the Cheerios back into the cabinet and taking out the preferred cereal. He tossed it over to Nitram, laughing when it bounced off the devil's head. "Come on, grump, get up. There's a whole day ahead of us."

"Can it be night time again?" Nitram whined, pushing the box of cereal away. Bodil huffed and went to the fridge, opening it up. He grabbed the jug of milk, then crinkled his nose at the horrible stench wafting from it. "Oh, gross!"

"Oh yeah," Nitram mumbled, "That's a few months overdue."

"Nitram, this is disgusting," Bodil hissed, quickly going to the skylight. He jumped up, easily unlocking it, and flew out into the wind. He pulled his arm back and hurled the jug of milk away, expecting it to go maybe _ten feet._

But no. It's launched from his fingers like a rocket, hurtling out into the sky and probably reaching the outermost layer of the atmosphere before assuming an orbit around the planet. Bodil stared after the expired milk for a second, blinking. Then, he shook his head and dropped back into the house. "Nitram, remind me not to throw anybody or anything from now on."

"Mkay," Nitram murmured, eyes closed and tail gently swishing through the air as he fell back to sleep. "Will... Will do."

[...]

"Why do we need to go to the library again?" Nitram asked as they landed. He glanced over at Bodil, lingering on the brilliantly-colored wings. Why Bodil had to show off, _he didn't know._

... But Nitram did have to admit, the display of orange primaries, cyan secondaries, and a combination of the two on the rest of his feathers _was _a fairly eye-pleasing display. "What are we going to do here?"

"Look for books, duh," Bodil answered with his ever-present grin.

Nitram huffed and rolled his eyes, furling his wings close to his shoulder blades. He wasn't really used to keeping his wings out in public - after a few years of living with Bodil, it had become a habit to hide them. But after the huge blow-up of Bodil's death, winged humans were a well-known thing. It had spread like a wildfire, pictures of angels and even a few of Nitram's friends bursting to news channels, internet sites, and heck, there were even discussion forums about them.

Frankly, Nitram didn't like the attention. In his old world - the one through the mirror - winged humans were 100% normal. But in this world, they were a phenomenon.

"See, I need some, like, religious stuff, you know? Or- or the history of the gods, and everything," Bodil explained as they walked into the library. The doors slid closed behind them, and Nitram suddenly had the rare feeling of claustrophobia. He needed to _fly_, to get _out _of there.

But he just followed his brother. "Lore?" he asked, crimson eyes flicking over the few people in the library. It was a rather small building, with just a couple dozen shelves. There was a small computer lab, with three teenagers hanging out, surfing through things on the internet. One old lady was sitting at a table, engrossed in a book. There was another young woman travelling through the shelves with a cart of books, placing them back in their respective spots.

"Yes, lore. I can't fight something that I don't know anything about."

Nitram stopped, watching as Bodil made his way to the first shelf. For a moment, he stared at Bodil's back, brow furrowing. "Who said you are fighting anybody, Martin?"

Bodil stopped and turned, waving a hand. "Nitram, what else am I supposed to do?"

"You are... You're going to get hurt." Nitram's voice rose slightly, and his eyes narrowed. "I will not allow it."

"What are you, my mother?"

"I might as well be, seeing that you are too ambitious for your own good."

By now, the two had attracted the teenager's attention, and the three were staring over at them.

Bodil bristled slightly, feathers fluttering into a muddy red color, overriding the blue. "It's not ambition, it's..."

"... That is what I thought." Nitram stared at him sternly, black and crimson eyes glittering. He crossed his arms, tail swishing slightly. "Now-"

"No." Bodil took a step back, shaking his head. He huffed and turned, walking towards the rows of books. "Nitram, I need to do this."

"Why?!" Nitram snapped, uncrossing his arms and stalking over to the angel, who had already pulled a book off the shelf. "_Why _do you need to? You've told us that you just woke up, falling from the sky. And that is _it. _You do not know _why_? Bullshit. I know you know why, Martin. And until you tell me why we are trying to overthrow the gods, I will not continue to let you-"

"They're corrupt!" Bodil snapped, feathers fluffed out as he waved his arms wildly. "They'e abandoned everyone. If there is a disease or plague, they sit back and watch. If there's a drought or a famine, they leave and go to some godly spa or something-"

"Godly spa," Nitram deadpanned, stopping Bodil in his tracks. The devil crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one foot. "You're telling me that the gods... go to a _spa._ If I were a god, I would at least want to spend my time on something better than a spa."

"Yeah, well-"

Nitram smirked and made a vague hand motion, as if waving over a clerk. "Yes, massage table for two, please, ma'am. Oh and can we get a mud bath with that?"

Bodil giggled and shook his head, smoothing his ruffled temper. "Alright, I guess 'godly spa' isn't a very good example."

"You guessed correctly." Nitram's tail twitched and he seemed to be thinking. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Alright, I will help you find information. But I will not fight."

"Deal."

Maybe, if Nitram stopped helping Bodil, the angel would finally start realizing that this was foolish.

[...]

"I'm going to talk to him alone, Nitram," Bodil said gently as they landed, expecting the devil to react negatively.

"Are you sure?... Alright, well, I will wait outside, in a tree maybe. Call if you need me."

There was a slight warning in Nitram's tone, making Bodil frown at him as he jumped back into the air to glide to one particularly large tree that housed a few squirrel nests. He settled in the bottom of it, swinging to hang upside down.

Bodil turned back to the door, looking up at the house. He reached a hand up, but hesitated before he knocked.

What could be that wrong with Seto that Nitram was weary about letting Bodil talk to him alone?

The angel shuffled his wings, flapping them slightly and curling them around his shoulders to keep the cold away. He needed to get a winter coat.

So, gathering whatever nerves he had, he gently knocked on the door.

Usually, Seto wouldn't answer the very first time.

But this time, the door slammed open as if there was a tornado ripping at it, and out stalked Seto. His white and red eyes were ablaze, pupils dilated in anger. **_"So it's YOU who's caused him so much pain!"_** Seto screeched, grabbing Bodil's collar and actually _hauling him off the ground._

Bodil was four inches taller than Seto.

He struggled slightly, eyes flashing into a pale yellow. But then he scowled and twisted out of Seto's grip. He took several steps back, glaring at the not-so-Seto.

_**"What, not gonna say anything?" **_

"Who are you?"

The Seto-impersonator snorted, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Bodil. _**"Depends."**_

But then his eyes flickered, from brown to silver to red and white then to brown then back to silver. Seto - Bodil had a feeling as to what was going on now - shifted slightly, and the angel could see he change in body language.

Whoever was controlling Seto was as calm as the first one was angry. It held itself tall, eyes narrowed slightly, and never once blinking. Bodil took a step back, brow furrowing. The fine hair on the back of his neck prickled and he could feel the power that this individual held. "Now who are you?"

_"It's been a long time, angel," _the parasite said, tilting its head slightly a if bowing a greeting. Bodil felt inclined to do the same, but stayed still._"... I'm Kerberos, angel, do you not remember?"_

Oh.

_Oh._

"You're the one that I saved Seto with," Bodil stated, and felt a pang of embarrassment when she snorted in humor.

_"The forgetfulness of an immortal," _she muttered, but nodded, and said, _"Seto can't talk right now."_

"What's wrong?" And, even though Bodil knew that Seto was far beyond the age of needing a guardian angel, he felt that twisting in his gut - such an old, familiar thing. "Is he in trouble-"

_"He hasn't taken your death very well. Talking to him at this moment would... Not yield very... Well, angel, I'm as good as a messenger that I am being a parasite, so what do you want?"_

"I... I actually needed to talk to you, anyways," Bodil said, wings shifting slightly as he moved his weight from foot to foot. Her stare was unnerving. It didn't have any pupils, which only _slightly _surprised him. But she did seem to have the whites of her eyes, unlike all the other gods.

Kerberos lifted one eyebrow, nodding her head slightly for him to continue.

Bodil swallowed and turned to glance at Nitram, who was staring at them from behind the folds of his leathery wings. He tilted his head slightly, a silent question if Bodil needed him. The angel gave a slight shake of his head back, and Nitram nodded.

Turning back to the parasite, Bodil asked, "What do you know about the gods?"

Kerberos seemed to pause for a moment, and finally her smooth expression cracked as she studied him, eyes flitting up and down, before gravitating towards his wings. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to his multicolored eyes._ "Come inside, bring your friend. I have an inkling about who you are and your purpose, and I'm sure that none of us would like to go into such a long conversation outside."_

[...]

_"Would you like some tea?" _Kerberos asked, leading them to the library.

"Yes please," Nitram said, eyes glinting in the dark like a cat's as he looked around. "Why do you keep it so dark in here?"

_"Seto uses spells to keep the lights on, and since he is... Unhealthy, we have been keeping to ourselves."_

"Is he okay?"

Kerberos didn't meet Bodil's gaze. She cleared her throat, and blinked once. _"I will go get the tea, stay here and do not touch anything."_

"Alright," Bodil muttered, watching her leave. He glanced around and walked to one of the few tables that wasn't covered in mountains of books. "Is Seto okay?" he asked Nitram, and the devil gave a half-hearted shrug. The look he gave Bodil was enough.

Nobody was okay.

Bodil felt guilt twist in his gut and he pulled out a chair, dropping onto it and crossing his arms on the table so he could hide his face. Nitram walked over and set a hand on Bodil's shoulder. "Martin, it is not your fault."

Nitram glanced down at him, then sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting down as well. "Do you remember how you died?"he asked after a moment, and Bodil shook his head, lifting it to look at the devil.

Nitram swallowed, looking to the side. "It was just before Christmas. We were going to a party, and we had just left."

_[...]_

_The wind rolled against them, shuffling their wings and making the group huddle closer together. "I do not get why it has to be cold," Nitram hissed, eyes narrowed and wings hiked up to shield his ears from the wind. He glared out at the city, huffing._

_Bodil laughed, nudging him with a wing. "Oh, come on, you're such a downer. It's almost Christmas, it's always cold his time of year."_

_"It's supposed to get down to negative 3 tonight," Simon added, already ready to jump into the air and fly as fast as he could towards Sky's house. Baki was gliding around them in circles, watching the streets far below._

_"Great," Nitram muttered. "Let's just go."_

_"Alright," Bodil said with that ever-present grin of his, standing from his seated spot on the edge of the rooftop. "Got everything Nitram?"_

_Nitram hefted the bag he had slung over his head. He pulled it open, rooting through the brightly-wrapped presents. "Uh... Oh wait, no, I nearly forgot Arielle."_

_"Why are you bringing the cat?" Bodil groaned, sighing when Nitram turned to go back inside to grab said Pallas cat. "Well, we're gonna go. You go ahead and grab her, meet us in the air."_

_"Alright," Nitram said without much thought, ducking back into the house through the skylight. "Arielle?" he called, clicking his claws together. The cat came running, gracefully jumping onto the couch, then up into his arms. Nitram chuckled and turned, flying back into the air._

_When there was a scream._

_Nitram whirled to find Baki folding his wings in, eyes wide and a deep, deep royal blue with splashes of fiery terror and panic. He was reaching for someone - who was just a black blur that was diving down at almost-impossible speeds. Diving right at a little girl who was happily skipping across the road with her mother, unaware of the bus that was veering towards her._

_"Bodil, no!" Baki screeched, pumping his wings, trying to pick up speed to grab Bodil from his dive. But the falcon-winged angel was made for speed, and he was already at the ground, landing clumsily and shoving the 8-year-old out of the way. Nitram shouted something, words lost in the roaring of blood in his ears. Something like _Stop, stop don't run over him.

_And then there was a sickening smack_.

_Nitram shivered and dropped, wings jerking weakly and letting him land on top of the building. He collapsed, curling over, raising a hand to his mouth to keep from puking._

_There was red. So much red._

_Baki was on the ground, dragging Bodil out of the street, crying for help, blood staining his clothes. He was holding Bodil, trying to promise him that it would be okay, that everything would be okay, that he wouldn't die._

_And Nitram just sat there, unable to move or do anything. Arielle was bumping his arm with her chin, meowing, tail swishing. But Nitram was perfectly still, staring down with wide eyes._

_Baki let out a wail, wings hunching and head bowed suddenly. Simon finally reached the ground, large wings folding to his back as he stumbled over._

_Nitram felt it, the ripping in his heart, where something was missing. It ached and there was nothing he could do about it, even when he dropped onto his side and curled into a ball around the sudden vacant feeling in his chest._

[...]

"And then... w-we went and had to tell the others," Nitram murmured, face hidden with a wing, which was thrown over his head that was lying on his crossed arms. "But-"

_"Here we go, sorry that took so long." _A tray was set down in between the two and Kerberos went around to sit at the opposite side of the table. Even though it was perfectly clear she knew she was interrupting something, she didn't seem to look like she cared. _"So tell me, angel," _she said, leaning her head into one hand and propping her elbow on the table, staring at Bodil with those unnerving, gleaming silver eyes. _"What did you want to know?"_

Bodil cast Nitram a glance, making a mental note to save this conversation for later. He turned his kaleidoscope gaze to Kerberos, and spoke, "Everything."

_"Everything is a bit much, don't you think?"_

At his stare, she sighed and glanced sidelong to the left. _"Fine... I'll tell you everything."_


	5. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

**So a little side note before you begin the chapter.**

**Sorry for such a long pause, as I said in M&I. But I've had a rough few weeks, so you'll have to forgive me for the unexpected hiatus. It's still going on, but I couldn't just leave you guys like this. My updates will be spotty, though, so...**

**And each chapter, from this point on, will be named after a song that relates to the chapter or the story as a whole. Points to whoever gets who the band is. Without, you know, googling it. Or whatever.**

**I will also be explaining the lore/religion of my main universe. This is what I will go with for anything in Miles and Inches, so yey. This first section here will be Kerberos talking directly to Nitram and Bodil, so it might be a little wonky or whatever.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>-You're Gonna Go Far, Kid-<strong>

"I'll tell you _everything_.

In the beginning there was, to put it simply, nothing. And no, the nothing didn't have a name, or feeling or scent or smell or anything. It was _nothing._

Until one day, and again I'll put this into stupid terms, the nothing said, "Hey, I'm bored."

So the nothing split into two, and for the first time it saw itself. After spending a few decades looking at itself, studying the colors, the lines, the shapes- I'm boring you. Well, it studied itself. And the then, they spoke. It was something along the lines of "Hello" but honestly, I don't care. You get the point.

Mitne and Amuul... Yes, those names are familiar to you, don't they, angel? They - or rather, _it _(Void has no true gender, and it is most certainly not two different creatures, no matter how separate they seem) - decided they were bored as well.

So, in short, they gave the universe life. Now, I'm not talking just the handful of planets playing ring-around-the-rosies 'round the sun. No, I'm talking about billions - _there is no number large enough - _of galaxies, and solar systems, and stars and comets and colors. And then they gave life to the first two living things. Luma and Osiris, the two Fates. The Sun and the Moon. They, in turn, started getting creative with one particular world - or dimension - and-

... Okay, you're confused. You two are from two different dimensions, but from the same world. Essentially, you're the same person, just separate. Like clones. There are probably another hundred out there, running in achingly familiar paths as you are. Every time one dies, it could have been you. Usually, humans call these little hiccups sneezes. They say your heart skips a beat, right?

Well, yes. You have thousands of you running around like a colony of ants. Organized chaos.

But back to the Fates.

Those two - they grew bored after a couple hundred millennium. So they started making others. First, they created two eggs. To my knowledge, only one has hatched. But then, after realizing said eggs would not hatch without a solid, grounded world, they made this place. And they molded the basics of a world, then took the rest of the creation clay and made the gods.

Oh shut up, don't act like that. The Fates had perfectly pure intentions. Just like Void, they knew no good or evil. They were pure beings, made simply to pass on the tranquility. The gods, though... They were given a human mind and otherworldly powers. With those powers, they grew ambitious... My kind was created as tumors - to dim their ambition. And it worked.

For a while.

They learned to hate us. After thousands upon thousands of years, my kind were tossed out. We regrouped after taking control of new hosts, and went to attack the gods... We were so stupid."

Kerberos bit her lip and looked away, shaking her head. _"It is best that you leave, you two. I feel Seto stirring. I do not want him in this. It will only rip the rest of him apart."_

**[...]**

Pulling a long coat over his wings, Bodil said a quick goodbye to Nitram and hurried through the door. The rain pattered against his hair and he shuffled his wings closer to his shoulders. His wingtips almost dragged the ground, but they were mostly kept dry with the coat.

He had someone to see.

Bodil walked swiftly to the bus stop, huddling at the sign and keeping his chin tucked to his chest.

With the knowledge that Kerberos had told him, his disgust for the gods had only grown. Help create a world then simply leave it? It was like leaving a newborn baby at a doorstep.

A shiver shot down his back when he realized that he had done that.

"... I'll apologize as soon as I can," he muttered, eyelids drooping guiltily.

And then he heard it, a little sniffling coming from his right. Bodil glanced over and frowned at the two children, huddled against a building to try and stay out of the rain and cold. They stayed beneath one coat, dirty hair plastered to their heads and noses red.

The bus was making its way towards Bodil, rumbling through the rain.

The angel stood there for a moment, then shook his head and turned, trotting over to the two. Wordlessly, he pulled off his coat and draped it over them. Smiling at them, even though the shrunk back out of surprise, Bodil unfurled one wing and held it above their heads, keeping the rain off them.

The two boys stared up at him, eyes wide. One had pale green eyes, and the other's brown eyes were hidden by square, grimy glasses. The green-eyed one looked mutely towards the other, who sniffed and whispered, "Who are you?"

Bodil blinked and looked down at them. He smiled. "That isn't important. Do you guys have families?"

The silent one nodded, and the other answered. "We're lost."

"Do you know your parents' phone number?"

The spectacled one nodded, and repeated it like a robot, probably how he was taught to do. Bodil pulled out his phone and dialed the number, watching the bus rumble away. It was another hour before the next one came.

The line rang once, twice, and halfway through the third ring, a woman picked up.

"Hello?"

Bodil cleared his throat. "Uh, are you missing a few children?"

**[...]**

The cave was dark and dreary, like outside. Bodil huffed and collapsed on the ledge, having just climbed up the entire mountain to get here.

"G-Ghost!" he called, heaving himself onto his feet. He wandered into the cave, peering into the thick darkness. "Hey, you here?"

An angel peeled away from the darkness, wings colored onyx black and eyes narrowed. He didn't wear his normal suit, but his brilliant eyes were alight with suspicion. "Bodil? What… I thought you…"

"I'm alive, though," Bodil said, quickly brushing him off. "Look, I've been through this too many times. But I was just talking to someone - Kerberos - and she said you-"

And Bodil watched as his eyes flashed, lighting into a panicked and surprised yellow. "Did you say, _Kerberos?_"

"Yeah." Bodil waved his hand, "But she was telling me about the gods and everything, and then she mentioned you. She said you were a previous Champion?"

The surprise hardened into what Bodil would call anger. "Champion?" Ghost echoed, taking a step back, slipping into the darkness again. The only things visible were his eyes, glowing a bright nitro blue. "I… You must have mistaken me for-"

"Ghost."

The Fallen hunched his wings and turned away, eyes narrowed. "Bodil, go away. I'm glad you're alive - explain to me later. But right now, leave."

Bodil, as stubborn as an ass stuck in a bucket, scowled and marched into the cave, melding with the darkness. But the moment he was past the lip of the small tunnel, light erupted. He stumbled back, blinking rapidly and glancing around.

The cave was furnished poorly, with a futon couch sitting in front of a fireplace and a small kitchen to the left. A mat which was probably used as a bed sat against the wall to Bodil's right, and there was a small tunnel leading into a hot springs.

"What…?"

Ghost licked his lips and turned away, wings shuffling uncomfortably. "I said _leave_."

"Well, I'm not." Bodil reached forward, grabbing his wrist, keeping him from going anywhere. "Mitne and Amuul. Do those names mean anything to you?"

Ghost bristled, feathers rising and eyes flashing. "How do you know them?" he hissed, and suddenly his hand was around Bodil's throat.

Bodil choked back a cry as he was slammed against the wall, held a good foot off the ground. He clawed at Ghost's hands, eyes flashing into pale yellow panic. "Th-they were- they brought me back- they-"

Ghost shot a glance down to the right, obviously trying to decide which questions to spit at Bodil. He turned his gaze back, and Bodil frowned at his red-tinted eyes. Had they changed colors, or was it his imagination-

"They wanted you to be their new Champion?" Ghost hissed, and Bodil nodded frantically, nails digging into his arm. Since when was Ghost this strong?

"Y-yeah?" Bodil's voice hiked up a few octaves and he choked, struggling for breath. "C-can you let me-"

"No!" Ghost shouted, shaking Bodil slightly with fury blazing in every cell of his body. "How could you be so _stupid_, Bodil? You're going to die! And you'll bring everyone down with you! You- You've just started a suicide mission, you idiot. Every Champion is doomed to fail. It's just Void's sick game of life. They roll the dice and see which of you will die first. And, gods forbid, you all do…"

"T-they wouldn't do that. They ne-needed my help."

"And that's what's wrong with you!" Ghost shouted, dropping him and taken several swift pages away, hands balling by his sides. "You only care about other people, and not enough about yourself. Bodil," the angel turned, voice dropping, "What if this kills your friends? Simon? Baki? Huh, what if it kills them? Doing this is gonna get you _far _in life, Bodil." Sarcasm and rage dripped from his low tone. "

"..." Bodil glared wordlessly up at Ghost, one hand gently rubbing his throat. He bared his teeth. "It's better than how everyone's living, godless and abandoned."

The look of pure rage that shot through Ghost's now-crimson colored eyes was enough to make a dragon balk. Bodil shrunk back, but Ghost just whipped away, trying his best to soothe his ruffled feathers.

Bodil shakily got to his feet, leaning against the wall with one hand. "Ghost, just... Hear me out?"

Ghost stood there for a moment with his back to the other angel, arms crossed over his chest. He sighed, shoulders slumping, and muttered, "There used to be many of us."

"Of... who?"

"People who wanted change." Ghost turned to him, brow drawn down. "Shadows of the gods created as tumors to deter them from growing too powerful and uncaring. It backfired... Void came to me once, requesting that I join forces—they... they needed an actual, living being to assume the role of Notch."

"What, like a king?"

"No. Just as the main god - the one people look to when there's trouble-"

"And Notch fails to do so."

Ghost stopped talking to glare over at him. "It isn't-"

"Look, man, I just need your help." Bodil picked himself to his feet, still gently rubbing his throat. "You're the only one who can get up into the Aether. I can't see the golden winds anymore."

Ghost heaved a sigh and turned from him, wings shuffling to wrap around his shoulders.

"... If you do, I'll take you to Kerberos."

Ghost tensed and turned, staring at Bodil with wide, disbelieving eyes. He swallowed and looked outside, where the rain had finally stopped. Clouds hung heavily in the sky, and it would rain later, but for now it was safe to fly. "... Alright."

[...]

"Come out, you bastards!"

The white-winged angel was cast several glances, but most of the citizens of the Aether passed by him. Nobody dared approach him, probably out of fear for the drunken haze in his murky red eyes. "You- you let them *hic* _die_!" he sobbed, fumbling with the shot gun in his hands. He trembled horribly, knees weak and hardly supporting him. "Come out of that damn *hic* castle!"

But the gods, who had hidden themselves away from the world in the tall towers, remained silent.

"Come on out! G-get out here and- and *hic* let me- le' me.." He sniffed and wiped his nose with a sleeve, tears dripping off his chin and dropping onto the cobblestone road. "Th-they all _died_. They prayed and pr- prayed for ya, and ya gave 'em _nothing_. *hic* Come out here!" The rage was back, burbling in his throat like acid and lethal as a viper. "Come out here so- so I can _kill _you."

By now, the street was vacant. The clouds hovering close to the ground rumbled a warning, but the angel just cocked his gun, aiming for a window where a shadow was passing by. He sniffed, brushing dark hair out of his eyes. "The- the disease got 'em all. It went through 'em... Tore their bodies to bits... And YOU _WATCHED_!"

Just as his finger was tightening on the trigger, a black blur tackled him.

"Zexy," Bodil hissed, pinning the angel's wings down with his own. "What in the gods' names are you _doing_?"

Faint recognition made its way past the alcohol, but Zexy just shoved him off. "They're dead," he sob-screamed, tears still bubbling down his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy and there were dark bags beneath them. "I-I prayed and *hic* and- and prayed and begged and they all died anyways!" he wailed, scrunching his eyes shut and curling into a tight ball.

Bodil stared at him for a moment, stared at the raggedness that was one of the last surviving angels that had raised him. Torn down by the loss of his family, stripped to the bone of his faith and belief - Zexy was hardly recognizable. Slowly, Bodil's kaleidoscope-gaze hardened into a dark red of rage. He glared at the castle, catching sight of a shadow that closed the curtains in a window.

Ghost whacked Bodil in the head as he jogged towards Zexy, who had curled in a ball. Kneeling down, the Fallen swallowed thickly, gently prying the shotgun from Zexy's tight grip. "Hey, Bodil, let's go. I don't think now is a good time to spy on the gods."

Bodil stood and went to Zexy. "Hey," he said gently, casting a glance around. Nobody was to be seen. Looking back down to Zexy. "Hey, you're gonna stay with me for a while. Alright? We'll get revenge. We'll- We'll make them _pay _for your loss. They'll suffer for abandoning the people."

And abruptly Zexy, in some strange state of sudden soberness, cast a sharp glance up to Bodil. For a moment the two stared at each other, then, in a broken whisper, Zexy murmured, "You're not young anymore, Martin. Where did you go?"


End file.
